Running Around Like a Chicken with its Head Off
by Hidden-Shadow-of-Me
Summary: Yashiro finds out one of the biggest secrets he shouldn't know. To keep it a secret, he goes and tells the President to help keep it a secret. This was a bad idea. And then there's the whole Fairy Prince thing to deal with. Or, when Bo the Chicken's identity is found out, with everything that entails, and the President is horrified at how oblivious his two lovely actors are.
1. Logical Solutions

Sharp eyes hidden behind glasses scouted the room, following the producer's pointing hand until he saw the direction he should take, and what lay at the goal.

Target acquired.

Yashiro trotted forward briskly, attempting to keep an air of professionalism but losing to the silly grin trying to stretch on his face. He could keep his cool- really.

Except _this _was a special occasion.

He smirked inwardly. _Yes, because today, I finally get to introduce myself to Ren's mysterious friend~! I didn't even know he _had _friends outside of the industry! _He had been awaiting this opportunity for awhile. Ren only got to see the man on occasion, sometimes by chance, but more recently because he was actively seeking out advice. While Yashiro sometimes wished Ren depended on him as well, he wasn't begrudging of the fact.

Because Ren had a _friend_! His gentlemanly smile may have swooned every available woman in Japan (sans the obvious), but the handsome display never took anyone in, always kept them at a distance. Save for this rare specimen of a human.

Ren, who was thankfully at home resting, had requested he send a thank-you gift along to his pseudo friend. Yashiro was more than happy to respond, knowing that Ren's true friends were few and far between. With all his deep dark secrets (_race-car driving, mob boss, melting a woman's unguarded heart in less than a minute!_), he understood the importance of this friendship.

"_He'll remember," Ren assured his manager while handing over the small token. "That guy- it's funny. He said at the beginning he hated me." Yashiro was shocked when Ren laughed- _openly- _at whatever memory had surfaced. "That's not how it is anymore, though. He's a good friend who has given me sound advice multiple times. Just give him this, and tell him thank you again for all the help."_

"_What's his name?" Yashiro inquired, carefully taking the package._

_The handsome model managed to look adorably sheepish. "Uh, well he never said… I don't even know what he looks like, actually." He turned contemplatively towards the wall. "He once ticked me off enough that I tried to look, but-" Yashiro was shocked for a _second _time that evening when Ren uncharacteristically snorted, biting back another laugh. "Uh, well, I didn't get to see." He looked back up to his manager. "Do you think you can still reach him?"_

"_Of course, Ren." The man stiffened his posture to show his sincerity. "I'm a professional, after all. I understand the gravity of the situation."_

And so here he was, LME's best manager, only a few moments ago directed back stage by the producer and ready to introduce himself to the average man with a gentile smile on his face trotting forward while singing '_I'm going to meet Ren's frie-end~ I'm going to meet Ren's frie-end~' _in his head. He was lucky; it appeared the man had just gotten finished with another take. But he'd better hurry, it looks like they were about to leave to change.

"Excuse me!" He called, but his voice was lost in the mayhem of clean up. He waved, but still couldn't get the costumed gentleman's attention. _Ren's friend! Ren's advice buddy! Good soul- wait!_

His view was blocked, but he could see the iconic head being held in winged hands while one of the Bridge Rock members started a conversation. He raised his voice to call again as the group blocking him moved past. "Mr. Bo-"

…

…

…

What.

That was- that wasn't a man. That- _that's not a man-_

No.

…

_Nooo~_

His call had still gone unheeded, still too far away to be heard, but close enough to see the lovely, familiar face.

_Bo the Chicken wasn't a man._

Vaguely, in the weirdly calm part of his mind, he had to admit that Kyoko really did look lovely even in a chicken suit.

…

_BUT WHY WAS KYOKO IN A CHICKEN SUIT?! BO?! SHE WAS IN BO'S CHICKEN SUIT?! WHAAAT?!_

Quickly, he threw himself behind a set of props, gazing out in rapt horror, trying to process what he was seeing.

Bo was Kyoko.

_Bo was Kyoko._

Was he dreaming? Was Ren pranking him? _Was _Kyoko _pranking him_?

_WHAT IS GOING OOOOOON?!_

He didn't understand- Ren went to the Chicken for advice, Ren was _friends _with the Chicken but _sempai _to Kyoko- but Kyoko is Bo who gives advice to Ren- _ugh his brain! _

The dots started connecting in his head- the time's Kyoko had to go to work, the times _they had driven her to this very studio _and had automatically assumed it was Love Me work. Kyoko had never corrected them- she had never mentioned something like this. And if _Ren _had known he'd certainly have said so when he sent Yashiro with the gift! But there was no way Kyoko _didn't _know that she had been acting as a confidant for Ren, which meant-

Which meant she was keeping this a secret.

_Kyokooo, why are you- the pure soul- hiding thiiiis?! _Yashiro grabbed his head, shaking in numb disbelief, unaware of the extra stage hands looking at him weirdly. _What if Ren finds out, what if he knew you tricked him?!_

He froze.

What if Ren _did_ find out? Now that he thought about it- didn't Ren befriend Bo even _before_ he was on good terms with Kyoko? He _had_! Perhaps that was it! It would fit- Ren even said the Chicken admitted to hating him at first! So somehow, when Kyoko had been playing Bo, they had become friends. But then when Kyoko later got to know Tsuruga-san, and didn't want to jeopardize her relationship with her sempai by being found out!

_What do I do? What do I doooo?!_

He jolted as Kyoko's voice drew closer, watching as her and Bridge Rock passed by without noticing his hidden figure. It sounded like she was declining dinner (_good girl!_) and was heading home. Yes. She should go home, where people won't connect her with Bo.

She _couldn't _be connected with Bo- Yashiro couldn't let Ren find out! What if it _did _hurt their relationship? His chances with the fiery Love-Me-Number-One were tough enough- and he had so few people he could turn to for advice as it was!

No. He wouldn't tell. Brusquely, he stood and hurried back to the producer, mumbling a request to leave the gift for Bo next time they came in and then hurried off. He wouldn't tell, but as Ren's manager, he wanted to do what was best for him.

And what was best for him was that he _never _finds out on accident who Bo the Chicken was!

Which meant there was only one way to keep this secret- and while it was a dangerous movie to make, it was a necessary one.

_Yes, as difficult as it is, I have to do it- for Kyoko-chan _and _Ren!_

He had to speak with the president.

**Heheheh, I couldn't resist~ This idea has been in my head for years, and let me tell you, the trolling that will soon commence will be a thing of beauty. There is nothing better than oblivious lovers. Also- I like it when the president realizes he missed obvious things, and BOY will this be chuck full of them~! Please review, its my first Skip Beat fic and I want to do well, so knowing what you think is greatly appreciated!**


	2. Reasonable Discussions

Lori Takarada was a flamboyant man. And as such, there were very few things that 'surprised' him. Strange foods, exotic clothes, over-the-top cultural highlights, he's seen it all. He's _done _it all. Thus saying, 'surprising' him wasn't possible. When Mr. Yashiro contacted him on a strictly emergencies only number, he wasn't 'surprised', he was intrigued. He knows Yashiro would never let something physically happen to Ren (and furthermore, the duo-life actor could handle himself very well in many tight situations, thanks to Kuon's later years). When Mr. Yashiro called for a meeting at his _earliest _convenience, he only felt distinctly put out that he couldn't be able to help Akita-sama find his true love in Hiroto-san sooner (_they were meant to be, it was only a matter of time, he'd figure out how to play them into holy-matrimony if it was the last thing he did!_), but insisted to Yashiro that his lovely actors came first, and he could set aside important meetings if Yashiro was this concerned.

So here Yashiro had sat for the last fifteen minutes, more fidgety than President Lori had ever seen him. He had just finished explaining the situation. Ren had a friend who was a chicken. And Kyoko just so happened to be the person who played the chicken. Kyoko, who played the chicken, hadn't told Ren. If Ren found out, it might spell disaster. And Kyoko, for whatever reasons, had made her own decisions to keep quiet about it.

Lori wasn't 'surprised'.

He was _horrified_.

He stared at Yashiro, disbelieving. "How… how…"

Yashiro nodded emphatically. "Exactly, which is why I came to you, surely you can smudge the part in her record that says she plays Bo? Something?"

"How…"

"It might hurt Kyoko, but if you can find her a new job, and replace her, I'll simply let Ren know the manager told me the person quit without looking back, and it could resolve things that way…"

"How…"

"I know, I've tried to think this through, but I just keep getting stuck on why such a good girl like Kyoko would get herself into this kind of… um, sir?" Yashiro glanced again at the president, noting his facial expression hadn't changed since he had finished his story. "… Mr. President?"

"How… _How did I not know this?_"

"…what?"

Lori fell to the side of his couch, dramatically prostrating himself like a woe-begotten man who realized the despair of his life. "Yashiro, you don't understand. I am their _biggest_ shipper, _and this escaped my notice_? _AHHHH!_" He threw his head back, hands covering his face in apparent agony. "I have failed my lovely actors! _Failed_!"

Yashiro twitched slightly, arm partially extended as if to assist his employer. The only problem is… he wasn't quite sure what was going on. "I-it's okay- I mean, no- H-How do you mean, sir?"

"How do I-" He vaulted forward, turban slightly askew because of the motion, but he ignored it, intent in staring down the very nervous manager. "Ever since Love Me Number One-"

"All capitalized?"

"In _all _caps- ever since Kyoko came to me, the goal to help her find how to Love again has been a top priority. When Ren went and foolishly fell for her, I didn't ask questions, I encouraged it! I assumed he had seen her beautiful face, her passion for her work and polite attitude and had been drawn in because of this. _But now I know I don't know things! _What if there's something else? What if-" He leaned in further, but by this time Yashiro's visage had become just as serious. "What if there are aspects to this relationship _we don't know_?"

Really, he had _known _both had shadowed, mysterious pasts and unique darkness's that dwelled within their character, but he never acted on that realization, never acknowledged what a dangerous web they could weave! He had already made them Cain and Setsu: the two dangerously loving siblings- because short of telling them to date, there wasn't many other forms of subtly he could take on. Kyoko wouldn't acknowledge the love struggling within her heart, and Ren wouldn't damage the fragile relationship he held with the younger co-worker.

Honestly, young people these days. He had to do _all _the work.

But this- this additional thread didn't exist on his interwoven pattern of binding them together! It was a wild color- completely going its own path in his crafty plan. And if there was one, there was bound to be another. It was unacceptable.

Yashiro drew back in horror, coming to the same conclusions. "No! Impossible- there can't be _more _than this!"

"How can there not? How good of _friends _is Ren with the chicken, Mr. Yashiro? How have they come to be friends, what did they do together that differs from the sempai/student relationship she has? _What are we missing_?"

Both were now staring into space, eyes wide with horror at the implications. Yashiro's mouth was hanging open with the possibilities. "Ren, who never comes to me with problems, might have gone to _others_ for help…"

Lori was just as struck dumb, though clearly more annoyed. "Why didn't the girl _come to me _when she built up this fiasco? The things I could toy with if I had known…!"

"She's looked to her sempai for help…"

"I could have been teasing him for _months_ with hints…!"

"He might have shared really important things…!"

"She's playing the field instead of me…!"

Yashiro recovered himself, straightening. "Mr. President, we _have _to do something. This can't continue, they'll end up in a train wreck of relationship disaster!"

Takarada reclined in his seat, pensively thinking as he smoked an Irish cigar. Those sort of things appear around him. "I agree. We need to first know what we _don't _know. Then once we _actually _have all the pieces together, we can ship them properly to their happily ever after."

"Yes, of course." The manager nodded his head emphatically before pausing. "… Sir, is there, anything I should… know…" Lori looked the nervous man in the eye, shrewdly guessing what he was trying to ask. "Well, Ren's past seems..."

The President of LOVE ME Inc. waved a hand, though with an air of regret. "I'm sorry, Yashiro," He reclined back, posture the epitome of 'kingly'. "But only _I _get to be the ultimate shipper. Do what you can with what you already know."

"Of course, sir."

"And call me as soon as you get any details." Lori pointed a finger warningly, satisfied when Ren's manager nodded seriously.

"Absolutely, for the sake of Ren's horrible social circle circumstances…"

"For the sake of _my ability to manipulate others_…"

They clasped hands, staring off into the distance in determination. "_We will find answers._"

**Eeeeey lovelies! Sorry it took a bit, but I hope you laughed a great deal. :D I can't wait to get our favorite couple in there to admit little bits of their past that has Lori and the future army of Kyoko/Ren shippers freaking out at all the obliviousness in their lives. Sooooo fun~~**

**Please leave a review to let me know what you thought, and what you would like to see in the future!**


	3. Healthy Communications

Lori was, and would always be, Kyoko's and Ren's biggest shippers. However you looked at it, he would make that couple happen. For all that the world threw shocked faces at his flamboyancy, it was really _him _who embraced what was already there, and everyone else pretending that intense drama didn't exist.

Like his number one actor and upstarting actress's relationship. The potency of that spectacle was a thing of beauty, now more than ever.

However, when it came to individual basis, Lori knew his devotion was out beat by another- at least in the case of Kuon. And now armed with the knowledge that his favorite pair _is keeping secrets from him_, the president of LOVE ME Inc. decided that if he was going to make any headway behind his two lovely actors' backs, he'd require the assistance of this particular fan.

Which was why Kuu was on the other line for their very important Skype session.

"_Lori, has something happened?! I've searched all over the news and nothing has come up! Was it a stage accident? Has somebody threatened my lovely boy?! I haven't cancelled anything yet, but I can get my hands on a flight there within three days if I have to!"_ A very stressed father figure looked out at Takarada- clearly on the verge of collapse.

"Kuu, what in the world are you talking about?" The president frowned at the desperate man.

"_Wha- you said to my agent that this was urgent! That a personal acquaintance of ours- _MY SON_\- was in 'a dire situation' and you needed 'to know something in order to protect him from further harm'!"_

Ooops, had he really phrased it like that? Well, not that it wasn't true. "Not in the way you're thinking of. Kuon is fine-"

"_**What.**_"

Yeeep, there was the angry-lovely-father; the number one Kuon fan. That glare could give a mad Kyoko a run for her money.

"_Lori. Takarada. You send that cryptic message- and let me believe the worst- JULIE IS IN A STATE OF HYSTERICS!_"

Lori rolled his eyes. "No, she isn't. You're wife has ever been the more level headed one between the two of you- no matter the occasional flaunt of dramatics."

"_BUT SHE COULD BE!_"

Lori deadpanned. "The only one in hysterics is _you_. And if you will let me explain the situation about your lovely boy, you will see my dilemma."

Kuu lowered his hands, which had been waving irately over his head like he could claw at Takarada from this distance. Ha, as if the president of LOVE ME Inc. hadn't taken that important safety measure into account. Still slightly fuming, Kuu glared into the camera. _"Alright, then. If my son is not in danger, what is so _dire _about this situation?"_

Lori sighed, trying not to feel overly pleased with the emotional turmoil he was about to bring to his old friend… but who was he kidding? This was going to be delicious. "It is… a matter of the heart."

Kuu's eyes stayed narrowed. _"The heart…? Is there an acting role that he's-"_

Lori waved his hand impatiently, as if batting away the words. "No, no. Honestly Kuu, a matter of the _heart_."

"_Is he missing home? Julie? Kuon knows that we can set up a half-way point to meet for just a few hours if he ever-"_

_Oh, so this is where Kuon gets his occasional oblivious nature from. _They were getting off topic. More importantly, there was not enough _emotional turmoil_. And Lori needed his drama."No, we do not need to set up a meeting. Your lovely boy has irreversibly fallen in love. _That _matter of the heart."

The president looked away as he said the words so his screen would show a distant yet profound expression of contemplation (and inwardly he was giggling to himself despite the severity of the matter). He held the appearance for a good few moments, enough to get his point across, but frowned at the lack of response from the other end. He glanced at the screen (_don't tell me this technology froze at such a critical moment! It won't have the same impact the second time around!_), and found Kuu to be staring back at him with a surprisingly blank expression.

"… Kuu? Did you hear me?"

…

"… should I call for Julie…?"

"… _love?"_

Lori rolled his eyes, sighing. He wanted a fellow giggling fan, _not _a shock patient. "Yes, 'love'. I wouldn't be contacting you if I wasn't sure. And you know me, I am _sure_."

"_H-how…?"_

"Well you see, that's the part in question. From what I had first gathered, they met at-"

"**How dare they.**"

Lori paused again, reassessing the situation and realizing he had unleashed a very, very dangerous side of Kuu. "Now, wait a minute-"

"**Whoever they are they aren't good enough for MY LOVELY BOY**!"

Takarada raised his hands in a placating manner. "Yes, I'm sure you're right," _not,_ "but this situation is… different."

Kuu, who was now breathing in a nature that reminded Lori of a dragon preparing to breath fire over an offending village, reeled himself in enough to gnash his teeth towards the camera. "Different?! _How can any situation where some woman deceives my son into falling for her ever have an exception that makes it _DIFFERENT_!" _He went back to pacing around the desk, each time moving slightly out of camera before appearing again. "_You were right about the situation being dire. I can still get there by Monday and give this woman a piece of my mind if I purchase the tickets-"_

Honestly, this man! "Kuu, you are not purchasing _any _tickets."

"_OF COURSE I AM! MY LOVELY KUON NEEDS MEEEE!_"

"Your lovely 'Kuon' has been out of the spotlight for so long that nobody is really sure where he's gone off to. The man you would be approaching, _Ren Tsuruga_, has no idea who Kuu is other than an esteemed colleague who held a similar role to him." During the course of his speech, Lori had allowed his tone to dive into the solid steel resolve he'd often had to portray for his more difficult affiliates. "In such a case, it would be _very _wrong for such a man to come along and tell one of Japan's favorite actors _who__ it is okay for him to like_."

Kuu's inner fire had burned down at these words, and he sat back in his chair in exhaustion. "_But Lori, you can't expect me to just _sit _here while someone toys with my son's heart!_"

"I can understand your difficulties, Kuu." He really could. His assistant had already stopped him three times for adding hidden security cameras around Kyoko's place of living- apparently his efforts to better understand her are 'an invasion of personal privacy'. "But it should be clarified, that while Kuon is in love with this girl, she- in as far as I can tell, is completely oblivious to his feelings."

That brought the father up short. He looked hard through the camera, gaging Lori's reaction. "_She's not… deceiving him? Not taking advantage of his perfect nature as a man and actor?_"

"No. In fact, while he is helplessly in the throes of love towards her, she is of the opinion that she never wants to love anyone. If there is any romantic feelings in her heart for him, she fights it like a terrified mouse from a cat. So he is settling in a very formal friend zone, and it's a train wreck watching them fight their own emotions, but the boy clearly won't let go of his feelings for her, and she won't relinquish her assumption that love can only lead to disaster."

"_Huh_." Kuu now looked less ready to attack, and much more eagerly intrigued. "_Well… alright. Wait- then how is he in danger? Does he have competition? What can I do?_"

Takarada sighed, knowing this conversation would be long. "I need you to tell me _everything _about Kuon's life. Recent circumstances between them have made me realize there may be something else effecting their behavior." _And I cannot manipulate their happiness if I don't know the cards they have!_

Kuu shrugged, his brain already going into 'share what I love about my beautiful son' mode as he removed volumes 1-5 of "Kuon's Life" from a nearby bookshelf. "Well, I'll do my best to help. If anyone can tell you everything in his life, it's me!" He glanced down to the first page. "Day 1; Julie has felt nauseous for weeks, we've realized we're expecting…"

Lori's head fell on the table. Really, this is what he got for having to depend on Kuon's number one fan.

But it would all be worth it, if in the end he uncovered the secret truth to his two lovely actors…

**More humor next round- sorry this one was a bit dry! But protective dramatic fathers are surprisingly difficult to write…**


	4. Coincidental Occurances

This wasn't worth it.

Lori had been sitting in his office for close to three hours now, listening to Kuu go _on _and _on _about Kuon's life- and they'd only reached his pre-teen years. At some point he had realized that his old friend was completely absorbed in his storytelling and not paying attention at all to the audience- so he had gone back to encouraging Akita-sama to pursue Hiroto-san, with only minimal nods back to Kuu as if to say 'go on, I'm still here' (his positive reactions to the role playing game even seemed to time with Kuu's dialogue, seeing as whenever he smirked at Akita-sama's clever responses, he would here Kuu say "I know, that's what I thought as well!" or when Hiroto-san was being difficult and he'd puppy pout, Kuu would say "Don't worry, I felt the same. It does get better!").

But three hours and twenty-six minutes later, putting up with Kuu's obsessive fan level paid off. Which was just as well, Lori was getting nowhere with Akita-sama at this rate.

"…At one point we saw a bit of a turn around, and we were hopeful. Honestly, we thought it was because of all the time he took to be on his own in Kyoto that-"

Lori's ears perked up, pausing the game. "I'm sorry, did you say Kyoto?"

Kuu nodded, looking off in what was clearly a fond memory. "My boy was so beautiful- not that he isn't anymore- but the first time he went off on his own had been a rough day for him. Me and Julie had been worried, but he came back happier than before."

"Do you know why?" Lori kept his voice neutral, but the gears in his head were turning fast. He remembered that- he had ordered the family to take a break from the industry. Even he hadn't known their destination, had only seen them off with a few parting gifts and assurance that they would take all the time they need. How long ago was it? Ten years? Twelve?

"He said he met a little girl who helped remind him why he loves to perform." Kuu chuckled to himself- oblivious to Lori's thoughts. "She apparently couldn't pronounce his name right- which is just as well, he didn't need to accidentally leak his location…"

_Kyoto, Kyoto, Kyoto. _Kyoko grew up there- and obviously it was large enough for them to have never met, but what if… and the timing did align rather well…

"Say, Kuu, where exactly were you staying?"

"Hmm." The man looked off screen in thought. "I'm not sure I remember anymore, its been such a long time… I could of course still look it up, if you'd like, but why? Do you think it has something of importance to the current situation?"

Lori nodded dutifully, then waited as the younger man got up and scanned through an old file of his documents. It could be nothing, of course. But Takarada had clearly let something good slip through his grasp once already- he wasn't risking the fate of his OTP by doing it again.

Kuu eventually came back, holding up the backside of a photograph close to the screen so much that it blurred. This man, honestly. "You have terrible handwriting, Hizuri."

From behind the blurred image he heard the father scoff indignantly. "It says 'Suiran Kyoto Resort! It was a beautiful location, the staff did an amazing job…"

Takarada tuned him out and quickly typed in the location, looking it up on a map and finding that- yes, it was near to the address he knew Kyoko had originated from. Hmm… still, he would need proof.

"Thank you Kuu, this will be all for now."

"But-but we haven't even gotten to volume 17 of Kuon's life! It's a classic!"

"So sorry, I have an important meeting now- I'll contact you if I need more information." The president shut down the program before he could be further attacked by Kuon's number one fan. Then additionally turned off his phone just in case.

Turning off his game, he turned to the window, his Victorian era cloak sweeping behind him. Proof, proof, he needed something to coax the truth from his beloved couple, but what would suffice? Lori could always send his men to Kyoto to find evidence, security footage or something, but given the location and the fact that it was decades old… he'd probably get scolded for giving 'unreasonable' orders again. Bah, he had to do all the work himself!

"Grandpa! Grandpa!"

The man turned elegantly, ensuring his stance matched his royal attire. "Maria, my darling!" He swept her into a hug, pulling away and eyeing her warily. "You are in better spirits than earlier. What's changed?"

Maria gave him a secretive smile. "I got to see Kyoko~"

"Ah, of course." He returned the smile. Really, his Love Me #1 was popping up everywhere. Setting her down, he started to walk towards the window, Maria following with a hop in her steps. "I suppose you two created some creative form of torture for the unbelievers you met earlier?" He really couldn't blame his grandchild for her eccentric hobbies. It ran in the family.

"I wanted to- but she gave me something even better to help!" The little girl bounced around till she was standing before him, a little finger waving in front of her like she was a teacher sharing important information. "A blessed relic from a fairy prince! If you hold it while thinking of your sad thoughts, and then shine it in the light- your hurt feelings go away!"

Lori's eyebrows rose. He knew Kyoko wouldn't have made up a story with Maria- but, did she really believe something so fantastic? "Oh? And how did she come by this relic?"

Maria's smile grew, glad she could share more of the story. "When she was little, she said she was having a bad day, and when she ran out into the woods- she met him!"

"Him?"

"Yes! The fairy prince!"

"Ah, of course." Lori turned back to his table, still listening to his granddaughter, but also trying to mull over everything that Kuu had shared with him. Perhaps he could question the resort staff, maybe they would recall…

"She didn't know he was a prince at first, but then he told her all about how his mother was the most beautiful fairy in all the land and his father was a great king, and was so big his fingers could cover the skies!"

"Mmhmm, go on…"

Maria rolled her eyes, recognizing her audience wasn't as involved. "Well, anyway, he sounds like a true fairy prince! She said his eyes were as green as emeralds, and his hair like gold! But he had a horrible name for a fairy, I think. Kyoko said it probably means something completely different in fairy, and that it only sounds bad in our lesser language."

Lori chuckled under his breath at that, eyes scanning old internet records for any fan sites that spoke of the Hizuri family's visit to Kyoto. "Oh? And what sort of a name was it?"

Maria giggled too, smiling over her shoulder as she moved out towards his balcony. "She said his name was 'Corn', and that even though Corn had a funny name, he was still the most beautiful fairy prince she had ever seen."

Lori looked up, brow furrowing. _ Corn? That's a terrible name- even for a fairy where Corn could mean something else! What kind of loving king and queen name their son Corn? _He started taking some further notes from his findings, listening to Maria chatter away to herself. _If he had eyes green as emeralds and hair bright as gold, surely a more majestic name could have been giv- _He looked up.

Wait. A. Second.

Blonde hair… green eyes…

Wait a second.

"_She apparently couldn't pronounce his name right…"_

_Wait a second._

Corn. Kuon. _Corn, Kuon_. For a little girl, who was likely speaking to someone with an accent, of _course _the name would sound weird. And with that appearance… in the woods…

Lori stared at his desk, eyes wide. Turning, he realized Maria was already gone from the balcony and started to leave. He frantically stood and looked out the door way. "Maria!"

The girl- hearing something in his tone, hurried back in. "What's wrong grandpa?"

"Is Kyoko still in the building?"

Maria tilted her head, thinking about it. "I think so, she's-" She quieted in surprise as her grandfather took out his phone, speed dialing.

Pick up, pick up, _pick up-_

**"_What is your command, president?"_**

"I want all eyes on Mogami Kyoko _now_, find her and relay her location at _once_!"

**"_As you command, president._"**

He marched right past Maria, telling himself he'd make it up to her ten-fold if this paid off as he had a hunch it would. He was going to have a conniption if it was right. He was going to have a conniption if it was wrong. He was going to have a conniption-

**"_She is at the 5__th__ floor elevator, sir."_**

"Distract her, now. Don't move from that location."

**"_Acknowledged, president."_**

Takarada rushed to the stair well, regretting his Victorian attire for the day- it didn't breathe well when sprinting. Still, his OTP was at stake, sacrifices must be made for the greater good. He probably should have taken the elevator, but it didn't match his mood of desperation.

Still, when you start on the 23rd floor and have to make your way down, it puts things in perspective. He needed to invest in a fireman's pole for the building. Or a slide.

When he finally heaved his way out of the stairwell door, he could see his assistants just a short distance away, talking with a very cheerful and oblivious Love Me #1. How dare she be happy- after all the chaos she's created in his relationship plans.

"_KYOKO!"_

Predictably, the woman startled terribly. He definitely felt smug satisfaction at that. _"AHHHHHH! _Y-yes, Mr. President? Is everything… alright?"

"Kyoko, I need…" He paused, both because he was having trouble breathing and realizing what a delicate situation he was about to put himself in. He couldn't let her know his suspicions; that would open up so many more issues. No, he had to be careful, he had to phrase this just right. And heave in more oxygen. "I need…"

The girl looked so worried for him, naturally inclined to help others and work hard. She was so perfect for Kuu it hurt sometimes. "… yes? Mr. President?"

Right. Focus. "… I, too, believe in the other realms that exist alongside ours." He saw her eyes instantly light up, and just like that knew he had won. Taking another deep breath for his hurting lungs he carried on. "And I heard through Maria that you have met the very royalty of that realm…"

"I-I have! Its true President! I never knew you were a believer! But given your eccentric nature…"

"That is beside the point." _I need to start exercising more._ "What's important to me, is as an avid believer that I am, I know nothing of the royal family. Would you, kindly, depart all the knowledge you have of Prince… Corn?"

Hopefully, after this, there was nothing more to consider and he could ship the two of them even harder.

But with his luck, and this couple… he almost dreaded when Kyoko enthusiastically nodded her head.

**Yeah, so… it's been forever. Hi? :D But school's out! And that means writing time! Stay tuned next time, for Yashiro struggling through casual conversation/get-information with Ren!**


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